The Playground delves deep into the origins of Acid House and Techno programming another astoundingly unique event with the legendary 808 STATE who will be performing with the full live band (Graham Massey, Andrew Barker, Darren Partington) as well as the inventor of Acid House, DJ PIERRE and PHUTURE who will be performing a Live show. Further support comes from ROBERT BABICZ aka ROB ACID, Planet Mu Label Head u-Ziq aka Mike Paradinas and CEEPHAX ACID CREW.

► 808 STATE- LIVE. are widely regarded as one of the most influential Acid House pioneers. Formed in 1987 in Manchester, they took their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine. They were formed by Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson, and they released their debut album, Newbuild, in September 1988. The band's song "Pacific State" was released as a single, peaking at #10 in the UK Singles Chart. 808 State's next album was released in 1991, Ex:el, which featured vocals from Bernard Sumner and Björk. Other hits included "In Yer Face" (UK #9), "Cubik Olympic" (UK #10) and "Lift" (UK #38)

► PHUTURE- LIVE. Phuture is a Chicago-based acid-house group founded in 1985 by Spanky, DJ Pierre and Herb J. The group's 12-minute track "Acid Tracks" (1987) is one of several recordings that lay claim to being the first-ever acid house record. "Acid Tracks" featured characteristic bass lines from the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer—which was manipulated to produce resonant and squelchy sounds uncharacteristic for a bass guitar it was designed to emulate. The track rose to popularity at DJ Ron Hardy's Music Box club in Chicago and has since been re-pressed many times.

► DJ PIERRE- Chicago-born Nathaniel Pierre Jones is a true dance music pioneer. Recording as DJ Pierre, Phortune, Phantasy Club, Photon Inc and a myriad of other aliases, it was his early acid house group Phuture – with friends Spanky and Herb J – that changed the game forever with the Acid Tracks EP in 1987, an undisputed classic and key moment in dance music.

► ROBERT BABICZ aka Rob Acid- is a Polish music producer, mastering engineer and live performer living in Cologne, Germany. With a career spanning nearly two decades covering genres from techno to acid house to minimal, Babicz has also been known under the pseudonyms Rob Acid, Acid Warrior, Department of Dance and Sontec amongst many others. He has released a number of very well respected records on labels such as Kompakt, Treibstoff, Bedrock, Intec Digital and Steve Bug’s Audiomatique, as well his own labels, Junkfood and Babiczstyle. He is well known as a live performer, never a DJ, as he uses synths and live equipment and improvises in every set he plays.

►µ-Ziq- Michael Paradinas (born 1971) records primarily under the name µ-Ziq (pronounced “music”) in addition to a large number of aliases. He runs the british electronic label Planet Mu and first emerged on Rephlex in 1993 with the album ‘Tango N’Vectif’ and has collaborated with Aphex Twin and Speedy J among others. Mike Paradinas has become one of the very few artists working with electronics to produce a recognisable and personalised sound while at the same time mixing far-reaching experimentalism with accessibility through infectious melodies and rhythms.

► CEEPHAX ACID CREW- Ceephax Acid Crew (often simply credited as Ceephax) is a British acid house, and drum and bass electronic musician named Andy Jenkinson. Jenkinson is also known simply by the pseudonym Ceephax, which is a pun on the BBC teletext service Ceefax. He is the brother of Tom Jenkinson, AKA Squarepusher, and for a while he shared living quarters with Jonathan Taylor, AKA Global Goon. Underground record labels Firstcask, Lo Records and Breakin’ Records each released music by Ceephax (his first record released when he was 18 years old). The more famous Rephlex Records and even more famous Warp Records both released remixes of Squarepusher by Ceephax which sound nothing like the originals.

"Left my house at 9pm, caught 9.22 bus to junction, luckily a train was delayed so was on board at 9.36, non stop to Euston, straight onto Tube and out of Mornington Crescent and in the Queue for Koko at 10.03!

I was scanned immediately by 2 security, then as I was about to enter I see John, Nick & Steve by the lights, waved and took my cap off to show them it was me, just as they came over, I was confronted by more security asking for photo ID, "its a club, every club in the country now asks for photo ID", myself and 2 808 fans behind me said its a live concert and there was nothing about ID on the ticket site, he said i'll let you in this time.

Got inside, and met more security, had to empty every pocket into one of those airport security trays, was checked over by security then headed towards the entrance, another guy scanned my e-ticket and then told me to go to the window, had to queue again, finally got to the front, a young lady took my printed a4 paper and asked me for something with my full name on, so out came the debit card, she smiled and gave me a tiny piece of paper (receipt I guess), which was then handed in to the scanner man.

Finally inside, I dropped off my coat, £2, not too bad, then walked down the tunnel to where the balcony/mixing desk was, and was to be where I stayed until 2.30, I was forever looking round to see if I knew anyone, nope, for the next half hour enjoyed PixieLord's set, then came on Ceephax Acid Crew, and enjoyed the whole hour set. in the meantime Grant Appleyard arrived and stood next to me watching the crowd dancing down the front.

Ben (808 roadie) arrived and stood next to me looking at Ceephax performing, I turn round and see the 808 posse enter, I waved Graham down and had a brief chat, also saying hello to Carl. Soon after John and Nick arrive before disappearing to the bar, eventually Steve C popped by to say hello.

It's Midnight and on comes Mu-Ziq, he start with an ambient number and kills the dancing, I didn't really enjoy his set, some tracks picked up the pace, and it wasn't until his last track, that got everyone moving.

So its 1.15am we get random sounds used in various 808 tracks (the bird, chants) and the original audio used in the intro to In Yer Face, and then up steps Graham, Andy and Carl.

The set starts with In Yer Face and immediately the crowd are bouncing, followed up with Donkey Doctor, Cobra Bora, Timebomb & San Francisco (which I haven't enjoyed live up until tonight), next up is Metaluna, possibly one of my favourites and what a great version too, the acid mix towards the second half of the track blew me away, and I won't mention the light show, steve and nick can do that

Graham has now left alone the keyboards and continues the rest of the set on Sax and various guitars for Pacific, Invader, Quincy's Lunch & Cubik, during Pacific, Easty 808's sound guy asked the lighting man to put lights on Graham as the stage was too dark to see him.

Absolutely banging set from 808 State, one day we'll be treated to a nice 90 minute one and hear some of the lesser played tracks, I'm a dreamer, I left with Grant soon after Phuture came on, we couldn't find John, so said goodbye to Steve, and saw Nick on the balcony having a fag, we eventually got his attention, Grant headed to Euston to get an Uber Cab, where I got the N20 bus to Barnet then got cab back to Watford, for £25, and in bed by 4.15am, nice to remember everything these days, cutting down drinking is good lol, over and out!